MSI Press Blog

  We interrupt our series of Cancer Diary posts to share what everyone already knows: cancer ( melanoma gone wild) has the upper hand now over Jimmy Carter , former US president and NFobel Prize winner. We salute his service to so many people of the world and his many accomplishments on behalf of peace and humanity. We wish him a humane experience on hospice and a peaceful last chapter in his life. For other Cancer Diary posts, click  HERE . Blog editor's note: As a memorial to Carl, and simply because it is truly needed, MSI Press is now hosting a web page,  Carl's Cancer Compendium , as a one-stop starting point for all things cancer, to make it easier for those with cancer to find answers to questions that can otherwise take hours to track down on the Internet and/or from professionals. The web page is in its infancy but expected to expand into robustness. To that end, it is expanded and updated weekly. As part of this effort, each week, on Monday, this blog will carr...

  With the rumors floating about these days, especially inside Russia, about Putin's health and a visiting oncologist, thyroid cancer is in the news. While I have no inside information (thyroid cancer? Parkinson's, growing old? all in the minds of the rumor mongers?) and therefore will not comment on Putin's state of health, I will note that Carl's Cancer Compendium recently fleshed out a fair amount of information related to thyroid cancer (which just might be helpful to people other than Putin who may be exhibiting some symptoms of one of the more treatable, if caught early, cancers). From the site: Thyroid cancer Definition : A cancer that develops in the cells of thyroid gland, a butterfly-shaped gland located just below adam’s apple in the neck. It causes difficulty swallowing hoarseness, lump on the neck, and swollen lymph nodes in the neck.  Types  include Papillary  Thyroid Cancer Follicular  Thyroid Cancer Medullary  Thyroid Cancer Anaplastic ...

  Carl's Cancer Compendium lists the top 15 cancer centers in the USA, as identified by the National Cancer Institute. Some interesting facts: Most, but not all, are associated with a state university or Ivy League university or equivalent Four of the 15 are located in California; if one is to get cancer, clearly there is a certain advantage to being a resident of California. No other state has more than one top-flight cancer center. Only 13 states, including California, have a top-flight cancer center (one center is in two states): California Illinois Maryland Massachusetts Minnesota New Jersey New York North Carolina Ohio Pennsylvania Texas Washington See Carl's Cancer Compendium for links to all of them. for more Cancer Diary posts, click HERE . For more posts on cancer in general, click HERE . Blog editor's note: As a memorial to Carl, and simply because it is truly needed, MSI  is now hosting a web page,  Carl's Cancer Compendium , as a one-stop starting point fo...

  I have often not wanted to take medication for an injury -- I am pretty good at toughing things out. That has changed since I have learned about the connection between frequent/chronic inflammation and cancer. (The ability of anti-inflammatory medicines to prevent cancer is not known; they reduce inflammation, however, which is important.) Of course, inflammation is natural. It is part of how our body heals it itself. However, there are times when inflammation sets in and does not go away -- and that is the connection with cancer. Long-term inflammation can change DNA and result in cancer. Examples of long-term inflammation include ulcerative colitis and Corhn Disease. Either of these can lead to colon cancer. Here are some articles that are well worth reading. NIH National Cancer Institute  Risk Factors: Chronic Inflammation - NCI (cancer.gov) 8 foods that cause inflammation  8 Foods That Cause Inflammation – Entirely Health What is Pro-Tumor Inflammation and Its Role ...

  check the American Cancer Society website for a ton of information about bone cancer Carl had bone cancer, one of the five cancers that took him out of this life. It was the bone cancer that caused him some of his greatest daily living problems because it caused frequent eruptions of hypercalcemia . One does not hear about bone cancer as often as some other cancers, but while probably the liver cancer was the most lethal (of Carl's cancers), bone cancer caused him the most anguish. Now, there appears to be some new treatment that is highly successful.  Read about it here:  Groundbreaking bone cancer treatment achieves 99% success rate (msn.com) . For other Cancer Diary posts, click  HERE . Blog editor's note: As a memorial to Carl, and simply because it is truly needed, MSI Press is now hosting a web page,  Carl's Cancer Compendium , as a one-stop starting point for all things cancer, to make it easier for those with cancer to find answers to questions that c...

  May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month. That gains attention close to home. I just had stitches removed from skin cancer surgery (last week).  According to my surgeon, skin cancer can take the form of melanoma , basal cell carcinoma , or squamous cell carcinoma . Of the three, melanoma is more dangerous because it spreads easily and quickly. Squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma can usually be excised.  Both my late husband and I have experienced squamous cell carcinoma. For him, it appeared like a little horn on his forehead. It was easily excised and left no scar. Mine was more insidious. An "age spot" appeared out of nowhere, then grew, then changed shape, then because pussy, bled, and itched. The Skin Institute did not believe it was cancerous, but I insisted on an early biopsy -- and I was right. When something appears to be very wrong, it usually is very wrong, and the patient is still his or her own best advocate. We were fortunate. With squamous cell carc...

  Carl Leaver , to whom Cancer Diary and the CCC are dedicated, has a lookalike son. Their interests and behaviors are essentially the same. Carl's son CB has his same build -- except that he is a foot shorter, part of the CHARGE Syndome with which he was born. Carl died of Cancer of Unknown Primary; however, his oncologist believed (gut instinct plus experience) that it started in the colon. Carl could have had regular colonoscopies, but he foolishly chose not to because he was super-healthy. (The only time he was sick enough to vomit was one day when he was 21.) Unfortunately, he died super-healthy. Never vomited again, ever. Never felt sick until cancer wore out his energy and his muscles and then his thinking capacity. So, lesson learned? CB gets regular colonoscopies? His siblings do, and his brother has had some polyps removed. CB, however, cannot. As his gastroenterologist says, as a result of CHARGE Syndrome, CB has a 35% chance of dying from any procedure that requires int...